Mistletoe (Clairmont Series Book 4)

by S. Jane Scheyder

  “It turned out that Cam blew it. I think he saw something special in Kelly and grabbed onto a future with her. That was the smart thing to do. Treating her like she should just go along for the ride and not taking care of the relationship was his downfall. No wonder she was angry. She had every right to be.”

  “I’m not sure it was so one-sided,” Liz objected.

  “Probably not, but the bigger burden is on Cam.” Christopher leaned back and ran a hand through his hair and Liz fought a smile. “Law school has taken a toll on him, as has too much time with Bobby. We talked briefly yesterday morning, but it wasn’t really the time to come down hard on him. I’m actually hoping that this break-up wakes him up a little.”

  “It’ll give them both a lot to think about.”

  Christopher nodded. “Well, I figure that there’s something to Cam’s initial impulse. I found it irresponsible at first, but now that I know Kelly better, I have to admire his foresight and desire to plan for his future.”

  “Wow. Well, thank you, on Kelly’s behalf.”

  “You’re welcome. Cam lost sight of the treasure he had and I’m truly sorry for him, but I’m not going to make the same mistake.” He picked up her left hand and considered it. “I’d ask you to marry me right now, Liz.” He looked at her keenly, as if to see if she might just say ‘yes,’ and save him having to go any further. Liz was too dumbfounded to do anything but listen, so he continued. ”I know you’re not impulsive. I know you need time. But I want you to think about marrying me, Liz. Seriously think about it. We could do this. I think we could have an awful lot of fun.”

  He grinned and looked at her so earnestly, Liz could hardly reconcile him with the man she’d met less than a week ago.

  “An awful lot of fun? That’s your pitch?” She laughed a little at his choice of words, but mostly at the crazy hope that was bubbling inside of her.

  “Not very compelling for an investment person, I know. And not particularly impressive coming from a literature professor.” Christopher considered their joined hands. “I may not have practiced this, but I’ve thought it through thoroughly. I’ll take care of you, Liz. I promise. And I’d very much enjoy having you take care of me. I need it. I need you.”

  She squeezed his hands. “This is blowing me away.”

  “At least ride out the storm here and think about it. Becky gave me permission to offer you anything, even the Captains Quarters if you’ll stay for a few days. Said she needed you for reasons only you would understand.”

  Liz smiled, then blinked. “The Captains Quarters?”

  “I think that’s the best room - full ocean view - private bath.”

  “I see. Sounds lovely.” She regarded him airily. “Too bad you can’t share it with me.”

  His eyes took on an interesting glint. “I know the pastor. He’s a friend. He’d do me a favor.”

  Liz laughed and pushed him away. “You aren’t ready for that any more than I am.”

  His look suggested otherwise.

  “Okay, well, I’ll stay for a day or two,” Liz tried to get them on safer ground, “until the roads are clear and we have a chance to figure this out.”

  “That’s a start.”

  “I should probably go tell Becky.”

  “Is your bag in your car?”

  “Yep.” She stood. “Would you like to go grab it for me?” She might as well push for the favor while she could.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Liz put her hands on her hips. “So, this is how you’re going to take care of me?”

  Christopher stood and smiled. “Well, I don’t want to be too chivalrous and mess with your independence.”

  “You just don’t want to get cold.”

  He picked up her hand and walked toward the door. “I’m not worried about getting cold out there.” Opening the door, he pulled her through it.

  “What are you doing? I need my coat!” Liz objected.

  Christopher gathered her under the first bunch of mistletoe and she huddled close. “See? Not so cold,” he pointed out, kissing her. He pulled back and glanced at the mistletoe leading to the edge of the porch. “It’s going to take a long time to get to the car. I need company.”

  Liz laughed. “It wouldn’t take you so long if you went alone.”

  “Exactly. It’s a metaphor, Liz.”

  She smiled. “Thank you, Professor.”

  “Think about it. We’ve both been operating carefully, efficiently, for years. I don’t want to get there quickly, Liz. I want to enjoy the walk.” He kissed her. “Walk with me.”

  Liz laughed, squeezed his hand, then resolved herself quite happily to an unnecessarily long walk. Christopher was right. It might be an awful lot of fun.

  The End

  Thank you for reading Mistletoe. Your review on Amazon means a lot - please consider leaving a quick word for me! If you’d like to read more in the Clairmont Series, Maddy’s, Grace’s, and Becky’s stories can be found in the titles below. An excerpt from Becky’s story, Done With Men Forever, follows. The final book in the Clairmont Series is scheduled for release in the summer of 2016. Happy Reading!

  If you’d like to receive news and updates on the Clairmont Series and our other titles, please sign up for our mailing list at andresblanton.com.

  Cafenova - Maddy’s Story

  Where it all begins ...

  Leaving her broken heart behind in Seattle, Maddy Jacobs starts a new life on the coast of Maine. Although running a Bed and Breakfast has always been her dream, restoring the sprawling Victorian inn is a massive undertaking. Her contractor, competent, handsome, and built like a Greek god, could be the answer to her prayers. If she can keep her wits about her, she might just survive the summer.

  John Fordham has his plate full, raising two young sons and running his renovation business. Restoring the waterfront property for its intriguing new owner will take all of his energy, and, if he’s not careful, it might just take his heart.

  You Smiled, a novella - Grace’s Story

  One week to help her remember.

  One week to make her smile.

  One week to fall in love.

  Grace put her heart and soul and everything she owned into her new coffee shop venture. Just when she thought she had it all figured out and knew everyone coming through the doors of her small town cafe, a handsome stranger walks in and turns her life upside down.

  It’s been ten years since Alex last saw Grace. He just needs a few days to help her remember. If she’ll give him a little time, she might just find out that a smile can change everything.

  Done With Men Forever - Becky’s Story

  A charismatic career woman, a brooding ex-NFL player,

  and an all-out battle of the sexes!

  When a scandal forces her to rethink her career path, Becky Jacobs finds herself working at her perfect sister's perfect little Bed & Breakfast. To make matters worse, she must cater to the whims of her insufferable houseguest, a brooding ex-NFL player named Tank. The only logical course of action? Swear off men. Forever.

  Tank Kimball comes to Clairmont, Maine, to rest and recover from a career-ending injury, but putting up with the feisty innkeeper is hardly restful. Still, she seems to be his connection to the community, and before long he finds himself team-teaching a sex education class at the high school with her. Suddenly, the ever-confident Becky is tongue-tied in his presence. Finding common ground between their battles proves challenging, but Tank begins to think that Becky has more power in his recovery than he ever thought possible. Can he convince her to give one more man a chance?

  Done with Men Forever

  (an excerpt)

  one

  Becky Jacobs climbed the steps to the porch of the old Victorian inn, debating whether she should knock or just go inside. She peered through one of the parlor windows and then immediately pulled back. One didn’t look in the windows of the newlywed’s house, even if it had been one’s home for th
e past six weeks.

  She sighed. Maybe her sister, Maddy, was having coffee on the beachside porch with her new husband. Becky circled the house and found the porch empty. She glanced at her watch. Ten o’clock. It sure wasn’t her idea to show up this early.

  Might as well take a walk. She started down the beach, waving to the occasional neighbor - people she’d started getting to know over the past few weeks while she lived with Maddy. Not many were left; most had returned to their real homes in the real world.

  Funny, Becky had left her real home in the real world and now hovered on the edges of someone else’s reality, with no real direction of her own. At twenty-seven, she wasn’t quite ready to panic. Despite recently losing her teaching position and now working a pity job at her perfect sister’s inn, Becky was not about to give up hope. She wouldn’t be stuck in this tiny, coastal Maine town forever.

  She reached the Clairmont public beach, remembering the day she’d spent there with Maddy during the summer. They’d worn fabulous new swimwear and had the attention of nearly every male on the sand. Not that Maddy had noticed. She was so heartbroken over her little fight with her boyfriend, she didn’t realize she had guys waiting in line to take his place. That was just another difference between them. Maddy was irritatingly single-minded. Becky believed in variety.

  She circled back toward Maddy’s Inn. Nearing the house, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to wake up on the day after your wedding in the arms of the one man in the world you had waited for. Becky slowed and approached the porch. Her thoughts were positively maudlin. She would not think about her sister or how she’d spent the last twelve hours. It was none of her business. She wouldn’t give it another thought.

  ***

  “But seriously, tell me.”

  Maddy Fordham didn’t even spare a glance for her sister as she put the carafe back in the coffee maker. “The water’s so choppy today. Must be windy.”

  “You can’t distract me,” Becky pressed. “How was ... everything?”

  “ ‘Everything’ is none of your business, and you know it,” Maddy said with more of an edge than Becky expected.

  Maddy did look a little haggard. Must have been a long night. “You look pretty rough. Long night?”

  Maddy poured cream in her coffee and put the carton away in the fridge with a sigh. “John will be back any minute with the boys.”

  “Okay, we’ll make this fast.”

  “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “You don’t have to. I’ll guess, and then you can, you know, correct me if I’m wrong.”

  Maddy rolled her eyes.

  “I know. So this is what I imagine. You had a romantic ride home in that horse-drawn carriage ...”

  “Didn’t work out. The driver got the flu. We came home in John’s truck.”

  Becky smiled, undeterred. “He carried you over the threshold and up the stairs ...”

  She waited for Maddy’s revised version, but only received a scowl, so she went on, “ ... into the Captain’s Quarters, which was full of balloons.” She glanced at her sister. “Nice touch, huh?”

  “Hilarious.” Maddy’s expression did not suggest that she was amused. “I just asked for some cheese and crackers and maybe a bottle of,” she choked a little, “champagne.”

  “I did all that, too. And the chocolate covered strawberries,” Becky pointed out. “And the ...”

  “I know, I know,” Maddy interrupted her. “You thought of everything.”

  Becky smiled smugly. “Yes, I did. And really, you don’t seem very grateful.” She sat back with her coffee. “Maddy, what happened?” It suddenly occurred to her that Maddy might not have had the memorable night that she’d tried not to imagine.

  “Nothing.”

  “Fine, don’t tell me. But really, Maddy, ‘nothing’ on your wedding night is a bit of a stretch, even for you.”

  Maddy swirled the coffee in her mug.

  A few more minutes of strained silence confirmed Becky’s growing suspicion that all had not been magical at Maddy’s Inn the night before.

  “Please tell me that ‘nothing’ means you don’t want to tell me. I mean, I know you don’t want to tell me, but tell me this is your way of not telling me, and not that there’s nothing to tell.”

  Becky watched Maddy’s face carefully and felt an incredibly unwelcome sense of remorse when her sister teared up.

  “I’m sorry, Maddy, I shouldn’t have ... It’s none of my business. Just tell me that John isn’t ...”

  Maddy blinked. “Isn’t what?”

  Becky stalled. “I don’t know. He was interested, right?”

  Maddy shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I assume he was, but I wasn’t ...”

  “You weren’t?”

  “No! Yes! Of course I was! I just didn’t, I couldn’t ...”

  “Oh Maddy, of course you could!”

  “Just let me finish!” Maddy sighed. “Everyone kept refilling my champagne glass last night - congratulating us and toasting us - and you know how tired I was, and I don’t drink much.”

  “And you passed out.” Becky bit back a smile.

  Maddy slumped over her coffee. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “And you didn’t ...” Becky inhaled. “Was John mad?”

  Maddy looked up. “Of course not. At least not that I could tell.” She stared at her coffee. “I vaguely remember coming home, and yes, he carried me, but only because I couldn’t walk.”

  Becky shook her head in wonder.

  “The next thing I knew, the sun was streaming through the windows - killing my eyes - and John was getting ready to pick up his boys.”

  Becky considered her sister. There were so many ways she could respond to this unusual dilemma - very few of them charitable. She opted for gracious. “It’s not such a big deal,” she ventured.

  “It’s a huge deal!” Maddy moaned. “It was going to be so perfect, being together for the first time in the place where we met.”

  “I thought you met at the post office.”

  Maddy lifted her head long enough to glare at Becky. “You know what I mean.”

  Becky sipped her coffee. “It’s kinda funny, really. You got married and didn’t - ah ...”

  Maddy continued to glare.

  “Whereas I ...” Becky’s smirk was a little forced.

  Maddy raised her eyebrows. “You what?” She shook her head. “Oh, Becky. Who?”

  A shriek and a stampede of little footsteps announced the arrival of John’s two young sons, Blake and Parker, through the front door. Maddy, eyeing Becky with concern, stood and set her mug on the counter in preparation for the body slam hug that was in store.

  “Miss Maddy!” Parker burst into the room with a five-year-old roar. “We’re here!” He ran into her arms and hugged her fiercely.

  “Hey, Parkerpants! Thanks for the heads-up. I would never have known!” Maddy hugged him back. “Where’s Blake?”

  “He’s helping Dad get something out of the truck. And Burt, too.”

  Becky smiled at the idea of Maddy’s huge Irish wolfhound helping John and Blake unload.

  “Well, we’d better get out the donuts,” her sister replied.

  “Yes!” Parker released her and jumped up on the bar stool, noticing Becky for the first time. “Hi, Miss Becky! Your hair’s messy. What happened?”

  Now used to Parker’s candid observations, Becky smoothed her hair. She didn’t do messy, by anyone’s standards. “I walked on the beach this morning. What’s your excuse?”

  Parker grinned and turned as the door opened. Burt trailed Blake into the kitchen, and both approached Maddy for their requisite hugs.

  “How are you, Blake?” Maddy smiled at his proper, ‘Fine, Miss Maddy,’ while Burt greeted her effusively.

  “How is he ever going to make it two weeks without you?” Becky asked, eyeing the dog with concern.

  Maddy laughed and scratched his ears. “He loves you, too, Becky. You’ll have a great
time together.”

  “Right,” she replied doubtfully, as Burt finally left Maddy’s side and walked past in search of his water bowl.

  “So, Blake,” Becky addressed John’s older son. “You’re hanging out with your aunt and cousin for the next couple of weeks?”

  Blake nodded. “They’re coming to stay at our house with us.”

  “Yeah, we don’t get to go on vacation with Dad,” Parker explained. “It’s for grownups.”

  Becky smiled, glancing over at Maddy. “Well, maybe next time you can go.”

  The familiar sound of John’s boots on the dining room floor drew the girls’ attention. Maddy shot Becky a warning glance as the door swung open.

  John Fordham stopped in the threshold, apparently unprepared to be the sole focus of the two women in the room. “Everything okay?”

  Becky smiled, biting her tongue as she considered the six-foot-something, handsome guy her sister had married the day before. Lucky girl.

  Maddy reached up to kiss his cheek. “Hi, John.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a compelling kiss. Becky rolled her eyes and looked over at the boys, who’d walked over to mess with Burt. At least they’re occupied, she thought, drumming her fingers on the counter.

  “Hey, Blake and Parker,” she finally said. “Let’s go hunt for treasures on the beach.”

  They jumped up immediately. “Can Burt come?”

  “Burt’s the only one who can lead us to the treasure,” she assured them. Sparing a quick glance at Maddy and John, she said, “We’re going on an adventure. It’ll probably take a while.”

  With that, she was out the door, herding her three very energetic boys onto the porch. She grabbed Burt’s leash, and led them down to the sand.

  “Better bring those buckets, guys. We’ve got some digging to do.”

  two

  One more broken nail, and she was going to quit. Becky stopped scrubbing the bathroom floor and looked down in dismay at her right hand. Where were her perfectly manicured fingernails? She should have taken the time to find those stupid, ugly, rubber gloves, but she’d been too lazy. She’d always taken pride in her hands, and this cleaning up after people business was taking a toll.